Praise the Lord.
I will extol the Lord with all my heart
in the council of the upright and in the assembly.Great are the works of the Lord;
they are pondered by all who delight in them.
Glorious and majestic are his deeds,
and his righteousness endures for ever.
He has caused his wonders to be remembered;
the Lord is gracious and compassionate.
He provides food for those who fear him;
he remembers his covenant for ever.He has shown his people the power of his works,
giving them the lands of other nations.
The works of his hands are faithful and just;
all his precepts are trustworthy.
They are established for ever and ever,
enacted in faithfulness and uprightness.
He provided redemption for his people;
he ordained his covenant for ever –
holy and awesome is his name.The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
(Ps. 111:1-10 NIV)
all who follow his precepts have good understanding.
To him belongs eternal praise.
The Psalm opens with a call to worship, a call to praise the Lord. The Psalmist praises God, along with the people of God. The upright are those who have chosen the wise way to live. The praise of God arises out of a heart that has pondered or meditated upon the works of the Lord. If you find pondering or meditating the works of the Lord a difficult thing to do, find a hymn that focuses on the works of the Lord, and write down what your thoughts are. The exercise of writing a description of the works of the Lord leads to further thoughts, and as you think about the works of the Lord it will lead to praise and thanksgiving. The works of the Lord are glorious and majestic. These works are the works of creation and the works of redemption. The righteousness of the Lord is clearly displayed in redemption. The Lord is committed to saving all for whom Christ has died.
God established a liturgical calendar for the OT church so that there would be a regular remembrance of what God had done. The Lord is gracious and compassionate in His provision of daily bread. These practical gifts demonstrate that God is interested in the whole person and our needs.
The Lord remembers the covenant He made with His people. He keeps those promises and displays His great power to His people. All the works that the Lord has done are faithful and just. God is always faithful to His character. In forgiving us for our sins God acted righteously. The debt that sin had created had to be paid if justice was to be upheld. Christ paid that price. The righteous works of the Lord teach us that we can trust everything that God has said. As God is unchanging, so His word is unchanging. The promises that the Lord has made can be depended upon. When we make a promise we cannot possibly foresee all the circumstances. We told our nephew that we would be at his wedding in Canada in August. But the wedding had to go ahead with no family members in attendance, not even his parents. The bride’s boss and a friend attended as witnesses. No one could have possibly imagined such an international lockdown. God is not surprised by any event. No set of circumstances could arise that God has not foreseen, therefore His promises are unchanging and will never be broken. The Lord is holy and His covenant is eternal.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. This fear is reverence, remembering that God is holy and righteous. Everyone who follows the word of God will realise the wisdom and liberty that comes from God. God’s way is the best way for us. As we explore the works and the wisdom of the Lord our hearts are moved to give God praise.
Prayer
Lord God we thank You that the promises You have made are unchanging. We confess how quickly we change our minds. We are also faithless and undeserving of Your blessing. Help us to be able to meditate upon Your work so that we will praise You from our hearts. We praise Your name through our Saviour’s name. Amen.